An electronic appliance contains inner places where electric signals are transmitted from one part to another. The means for such connection uses electric connectors or a flexible flat cable connected with a flexible flat cable connector.
Refer to FIG. 1, a socket 1 for receiving a flexible flat cable connector of the prior art is illustrated. The socket 1 comprises a housing 11 with a metallic outer shell, an upper terminal 12 located on the upper inner wall of the housing 11 and a lower terminal 13 located on the lower inner wall of the housing 11. The upper and lower terminals 12, 13 respectively have connective members 121 and 131, which are metallic strips bulged into each other.
Referring to FIG. 1, a mating member 2 of the prior art, which can be coupled with the socket 1, includes an insulating member 21, an upper plate 22 on the top side of the insulating member 21 and a base plate 23 on the bottom side of the insulating member 21. Between one of the upper plate 22 and the base plate 23 and the insulating member 21, there is adhered a flexible flat cable 3, whereby a mating portion 31 of the flexible flat cable 3 can extend out of the connector 2.
The flexible flat cable 3 is covered with a conductive meshed layer 32 made of silver for reduction of EMI disturbances by being in electric contact with the metallic upper plate 22 or base plate 23. However, the adhesive means for connecting the flexible flat cable 3 with the upper plate 22 or the base plate 23 prohibits an effective electric contact and cannot lessen EMI disturbances. It is a further disadvantage that the adhesive glue material may even cause faults of electric contact. Secondly, the same terminal of the flexible flat cable 3 is provided with a pull plate 33 for facilitating insertion of the connector 2 thereof into the socket 1, However, the pull plate 33 is made of soft plastic and therefore easy to assist the insertion of the connector into the socket 1 but not easy to apply force thereon to unplug the connector 2 from the socket 1. In the third place, the mating portion 31 of the flexible flat cable 3 is designed to be in electric contact with the upper plate 22 or the base plate 23 for a grounding effect. However, this effect may be lost due to the adhesive means for connection. Finally, the upper plate 22 and the base plate 23 are attached onto the insulating member 21 by engagement of only two ends thereof. Such connection cannot provide a sufficient structural force for a solid connection, which may leads to faulted connections.